


On Modern Werewolves and Biting:  An Outsider's Perspective

by KageSora



Series: Original Works/Meta About Original Works [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Essays, Fictional Essay, Implied/Referenced Bestiality, Meta, Werewolves, but just in case, i mean it's like just in a paragraph or 2 dealing w/ 'is it okay for werewolves to fuck wolves'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KageSora/pseuds/KageSora
Summary: An essay examining modern werewolves and the urge to administer a Turning Bite.(Or, a fictional essay on werewolves as a writing exercise)
Series: Original Works/Meta About Original Works [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702396
Kudos: 4





	On Modern Werewolves and Biting:  An Outsider's Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking about werewolves as they happen to be in one of my original worlds, and then I thought it'd be fun to try to write an essay on them. I ended up writing it from the perspective of a non-werewolf that lives in the fictional world of mine that has these sorts of werewolves.
> 
> I thought I might as well toss it up here even though it's kind of like meta on my own original works because I'm writing about werewolves, which are an established creature of story and legend, through my own interpretation and what is fanfic if not writing a story that looks at canon through the lens of our own personal viewpoints? So basically I realized it's like fanfic about the concept of werewolves.

While there are still pockets of the world that cling to outdated and harmful views, the average person recognizes that werewolves are simply people and are no more dangerous or vicious than any other person. But one question continues to be asked by the curious--both young werewolves and non-werewolves of all ages alike: Is Biting instinctive? To answer that question, one must look at a variety of factors that may seem unrelated at times. Some of these questions are, quite bluntly, rude but in addressing them we can begin to address underlying misconceptions and uncertainties about the modern werewolf. Note that in instances where “were” is used it is because it is applicable to weres of different kinds--if something is unique to werewolves they will be specified.

To begin with, it’s best to address a question that’s been asked mainly by non-weres, and which is insensitive at best and downright offensive at worst: Can werewolves breed with regular wolves in wolf form? This is related to the question of Biting, because it deals with the animalistic aspect of a were. The short answer is on a technical level, yes, but they do not. This is because even when in full beast form, they are _not_ animals and they fully retain their higher-level intelligence and awareness. Thus it would be extraordinarily unethical to pair with full animals. Animal that have been magically enhanced and gained sapience are no longer considered mere beasts by most societies and are usually afforded the legal rights given to peoples of all kinds, and thus you may at times see an enhanced/were coupling.

One might wonder exactly how this relates to the question of the Bite--it is important because it addresses the fact that even in full beast form, weres are not animals and are not driven by instinct alone. As this establishes that weres possess more than simply instinct that drives them, as they are fully sapient people. Therefore, even in full beast form a were is in possession of their higher sensibilities and not overwhelmed by the urge to Bite and Turn another.

This, however, leads to another question: Do they ever feel the urge to do so? The answer to this can be found in the fact that there exist toys explicitly designed to be Bitten and to allow weres to release the [transformative compound](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646697) into them. If one looks deeper, one might also find the support groups that exist for those who struggle with this urge. But this urge can’t simply be chalked up to instinct and left at that.

To understand this, one must look at a number of factors, such as the backgrounds of those who prefer these toys and use these support groups, and where these are located. If one examines this more deeply, several patterns begin to emerge. The first is that the location is a major factor. Those living in places where there is still significant prejudice against weres show significantly higher rates of dealing with the urge to Bite. The second is that those with backgrounds involving prolonged trauma connected to their werehood _also_ show these increased urges.

By further examining historical accounts, one will also note that the greatest number of unwilling Turnings reported occur when the “victim” was hunting the were or during a conflict of some kind. From these factors one can conclude that the urge to Bite is potentially linked to distress and may be a defensive measure. Why this might be is still unknown, though some theorize that it’s an enemy-nullification measure: by forcing an enemy to become a were, they are assimilated into werekind and are now also in the same situation as the were--that is, if the were is hunted the newly Bitten will also be hunted and they must now join forces to survive instead of continuing to hung the were.

Interestingly, a third factor that leads to increased urges to Bite are those who spend significant amounts of time in beast form. This is noted primarily in extremely rural areas, or in areas where weres are still heavily distrusted or actively persecuted. For werewolves they often find safety among native wolf packs. Other social weres may join groupings of their respective animal forms, though those who’s animal forms are also hunted may attempt to pass as fully human. It’s important to understand that the threshold at which notable increase in Bite urges is detectable is spending three or more _continuous_ years in beast form with minimal, if any, contact with non-were entities that possess sapience.

There are a variety of theories on this, but it is extremely important to note that this is not because they are becoming “feral” or “going full animal” as some suggest. Non-weres who spend significant amounts of continuous time without contact with sapient entities also behave differently than those who have contact with sapient entities, even if that contact is limited in duration and/or frequency.

It is also of interest to note that a were who has spent significant time away from other sapient entities will experience a reduced urge to Bite over time if they are re-integrated into society. Those who experience these increased urges as a result of prolonged trauma experience a reduction when they receive treatment for their trauma, and those who live in areas where they suffer persecution experience a reduced urge when they are able to escape those situations and if they further receive treatment for trauma that can result from such situations they notice an even greater decrease in the urge to Bite.

Another thing that is worth nothing is that those werewolves that engaging in Ritual Biting notice a gradual decrease in Bite urges. This makes them a popular choice for Bite administration among those who wish to Turn without having a Pack they seek to join. Typically, when a non-werewolf wishes to join a Pack, the Alpha will administer the Bite, or if the non-werewolf has a friend or family member in the pack they may be the one to administer it. Occasionally some Packs have a designated Bite-Giver that is not the Alpha. There are, however, Packs that will hire out the services of a Biter, and many of those opt to hire a Biter from a recovery program to allow the werewolf to engage in Biting in a safe, controlled environment.

It should be noted that this behavior has not been formally studied in other types of weres yet, though there have been pushes to do so. Informal observations seem to indicate similar results, but should not be mistaken as fact yet as they haven’t been done with proper scientific procedures--and much of it is purely anecdotal from sources that have not been vetted for reliability.

Several factors have now been addressed including potential influence of the animal side, factors such as trauma and environment, and a brief look at history of recorded Bite situations. While this is not every factor that may be involved--there is yet to be a consensus on exactly all the factors--one can conclude from this evidence that the urge to Bite is instinctual, but that it is _not_ an overwhelming or major instinct. Instead, it is a basic instinct that in most cases is easily overpowered or outright ignored. This sort of instinct can be found in every sort of species--thus we can conclude that while the urge to Bite is instinctual, it is not overwhelming in the absence of outside factors.


End file.
